My wish list...

[the chef]

-video: it has to be way way better than the Casio EXILIM Pro EX-F1 but like 1200 fps in full frame(2k?) the casio has only 336x96.
-sync speed up to 2000.
-iso : lets say the nikon d3 can do from 100-25600(expanded) but i suggest something between iso 50-50000 (is that too much?).so u dont need a built in flash.
-15 fps burst up to 120 shots in full resolution raw or what ever is going to be called.
-extreme temperature functionality from -40 up to 150.
-internal hd like 400-500gb(mp3 player like bluetooh headphones no cables to plug ) is kinda cool listening to some music while shooting.
-built in sim slot for mobile phone.
-cableless. wi-fi 802.11 b g I will b able watching my mails and surfing the web on the display of my cam.
-nikon canon mount (already mentioned).
-4-5 inch display.
Oh yeah I frogot, a built in expresso coffe machine that would b dope!!




check out my blog and video at www.framedblog.com www.framedvideo.com

[the chef]

oh yeah i frogot all this under a G.

[andy batt]

speaking for myself, as a professional commercial photographer:
I'm hoping for a PRO quality DSLR/DSMC. I currently own a Canon 1dsM2, 5d and 1dsM3. I rent 1dM3's and Nikon D3's as needed.

I am not interested in RED competing with 40d's, XTi's, D90, etc. - if you need a prosumer camera at an inexpensive price point, there's a huge selection available from Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Ricoh, Casio, Olympus, Sony ETC.

While $5000 to $8000 is a lot to pay if you are a hobbiest, or a part timer, that price point is the current mark for the top end of the DSLR market. So while I'm not knocking affordability, I think most pro's would feel comfortable with RED delivering within that zone. What I'm hoping is that for that price point RED trumps Canon and Nikon in the areas of capability, UI and post workflow. What I expect (as a given) is the build and functionality equivalent (or surpassing) of the 1dsM3 and the D3.

Based on working with the 'in hand' capabilities of the 1dsm3 and the post workflow of lightroom 2/photoshop cs3, here are few thoughts/suggestions for the still capabilities of the RED DSMC (in no order):

1. Meta Data. Lots of it. Unfettered access to it. Canon and Nikon's cameras record a wealth of metadata, but don't allow adobe access to it. EXAMPLE: i'd love to be able to 'see' the focus point chosen by the camera in AI Servo overlaid in my post workflow.

2. Adjustability in the focus system: I need to know where the camera is focusing, and where it's placing the 'sweet spot' - IE does the autofocus focus to the 'center' of the DOF or is it back or front weighted?

3. Tracking autofocus: the current Nikon D3 has an amazing focus tracking system - the RED will need to match that. A superior 'sideways' tracking would be appreciated (ie a moving subject moves across a fixed camera position - the camera should be able to ID that object and track it - currently the focus tracking seems weighted towards objects moving from 'far to near')

4. Buffer. With a 1dsm3 and 4gb Ducati (Sandisk) cards, I can squeeze off a burst of about 12 images before it hits a buffer wall. I'd love to shoot continuously, with no worries.

5. RAW files. DNG format (at minimum, as an option). An open CODEC that adobe, apple, etc. can access to build robust workflows.

6. Frame Rate - a fully adjustable FPS

7. robust connections - flash sync ports should be miniplug - the standard PC Sync terminals are horrible, prone to failure and wear. Pocket wizard, Broncolor, Prophoto, etc. use a combination of standard and mini mono plugs - they are cheap, ubiquitous and allow inter-operability. Data plugs should be firewire 800, eSATA and USB 2(3) - these should either be standard, or so robust and protected that I would be willing to shell out the $$ for proprietary cables (in a perfect world, the ISO would work with computer and device manufacturers to come up with real world, robust, protected, weather proof connections - the current crop of connections generally suck)

8. Bluetooth capability for off camera control - either proprietary - ie a RED physical build, or maybe RED licensed software for PDAs, or open to allow programmers to customize.

9. A superior 'computer control' software built with professionals in mind. Canon's control software is rank amateur.

10. superfast sync speed: via an optional leaf shutter - I love DSLR's and am constantly unimpressed with the hasselblad H2/H3 - but the one area that Hassy continues to trump DSLR's is with higher sync speeds. I would love to attain 1/1000 of a second for sync. If there is an esoteric tech solution, go for it. Otherwise my suggestion would be to engineer a high tech (read fully integrated) leaf shutter than can be mounted inbetween lens and body.

11. greater dynamic range - getting 12-20 stops of range would be useful - commercial photography generally doesn't allow for multi shot solutions like HDR.

12. lower noise in shadow areas - the least responsive 'area' of the current CMOS sensors is in the shadow section - and is the most likely to exhibit noise - hence the 'expose to the right' concept.

13. lower noise for tungsten light: the blue pixel response of current CMOS chips is more noisy - ie using unfiltered tungsten sources adds more noise (than HMI, strobes, sunlight etc.)

14. sharpness vs. anti-alias.: DSLRs use an anti-alias filter to avoid pattern interference, at the expense of a slight loss of sharpness, and Med. Format cameras flip that. It's usually not an issue, but comparisons of a scene taken by both types of cameras usually shows the difference. I'd love to see another technical solution for alias issues so that a RED camera would have the sharpness of Med. Format.

15. incorporated expansion bay - built into the bottom of the camera, using some kind of industry standard data connection - to allow for additional widgets , but not just a 'dumb' widget - for example, adding a Pocket Wizard widget that adds wireless sync is good, but having a pocketwizard multimax inside the camera, with it's controls presented on the main camera screen is awesome.

16. wimax protocol (or equivalent wifi) - current wifi widgets are too slow for practical use - you can send jpegs decently, but transferring an 8gb cards worth of 22mp raw files is asking for problems.

17. CF card media - the current pro standard. they are robust, an industry standard, and are constantly being innovated and upgraded. plus most pros have many of them already, and would be very unhappy to have to purchase a 100GB's of SD cards.

18. No proprietary media - IE please don't go the Panasonic P2 route of repackaging SD cards and charging a fortune for them.

19. interchangeable focus screens - or if we're dreaming out loud, a focus screen that is bright, but also can you show the focus depth down to f1.2

20. please stick with an SLR optical viewfinder (or it's equivalent) - electronic viewfinders are useless. that said, the live view on the 1dsm3 is invaluable.

21. self cleaning sensors (something that actually works)

22. easy to clean sensors - the easiest DSLR to clean was a FUJI S2 - because it used a stock Nikon body, the sensor chamber was oversized (ie full 35mm frame). therefore it was easy to get a sensor swab inside the chamber and sweep the dust over the edge - the 1dsm3 chamber is so tight, you end up pushing the dust to the edges of the sensor. eventually, with a lot of experience and hard work, you can remove most of the dust, but it's a pain in the ass. I'd suggest calling up the fine folks at visible dust and brainstorming on how to make this process simpler and more effective.

that's all I have for now - will post more as it occurs to me.

cheers

andy batt
www.andybatt.com

[edit] add one more thing - a slower ISO - yes I know ISO 600,000,000 is really sexy, but there are plenty of times I wish I had a ISO 50, 25 or 12. Yes I can add ND or a polarizer, but it's not the same.

[Lars Xang]

oh yeah i frogot all this under a G.

I am hoping this is more a pro-level DSLR in the 3000 to 7000 range.

[hagenbach]

>10. superfast sync speed:

>11. greater dynamic range

>12. lower noise in shadow areas

>13. lower noise for tungsten light:

>14. sharpness vs. anti-alias.

>20. please stick with an SLR optical viewfinder

>22. easy to clean sensors


i'll second some of above points - they are the real game!

a+

[the chef]

I am hoping this is more a pro-level DSLR in the 3000 to 7000 range.

i need to rob a bank then

hey lara take a look at my blog
www.framedblog.com

[Benni Diez]

MODULAR MODULAR MODULAR

Yes, even more than Red One or Epic! Think bullet time rigs, reasonably sized stereo rigs and stuff like that.

[Brad Olsen]

One thing I don't like about many DSLRs is the tiny viewfinder. I hate pressing my face up against the LCD screen to frame up my shot. I'm sure the DSMC will have a better design

The DSMC is supposed to have the MONSTRO image sensor in it right? The DSMC should have a full frame 35mm version of that image sensor. I figure that the easiest way to avoid major rolling shutter issues in motion or movie mode would be to "window" an area the size of the current RED One image sensor. DSMC footage would have prettier shallow DOF than the Scarlet :-) I'd be more than happy with 1-100fps 2K footage from the DSMC as long as movie footage utilized that much of the image sensor.

Even if there is no way to hook up external audio I think a small stereo mic on the DSMC would be useful as reference audio to help sync audio from an external mixer recording. Or as a quick sound option for home movie recording.

One last thing, could it cost less than the Scarlet? Like $1k? I'd say NO WAY! But if somebody off the street came up and told me before the last NAB that a 3K RED Scarlet camera with a 2/3" chip will cost less than $3k I wouldn't have believed them either. :P

[Sindre Saebo]

Just so Red team doesn't forget (though I know people have wished for this already): Pre-record. In my opinion, it's the single most important feature on the DSMC. Buffer recording of a sufficient number of frames/seconds so the magic moment is not lost if you push the button to late. Everything else I trust is being taken good care of.

[fde101]

11. greater dynamic range

I think this is a given, considering RED's focus on sensor tech...

12. lower noise in shadow areas

As with 11...

13. lower noise for tungsten light:

Okay, here is a complicated issue. Tungsten light is blue-deficient, so the blue channel is naturally "dark" on the daylight-balanced sensors that RED creates. The "built-in" solution is to stretch the blue channel to meet the other colors, but this results in slightly more "noise" within the channel, as you pointed out. The alternative is to use filters and increase the exposure to compensate. Other than having built-in physical filters within the camera that can be flipped on and off, I don't think there is a "nice" solution to this...

And I for one would prefer that RED stick with daylight-balanced sensors.

20. please stick with an SLR optical viewfinder

YES!! OPTICAL VIEWFINDER, PLEASE!

22. easy to clean sensors

Why not self-cleaning, like Canon is doing?